It's generally easier to get customer service in person than it is on the phone, in the same way it's harder to be mean when someone's right there in front of you, but if you want some added insurance then try bringing a camera.

Mint Life, the blog of popular personal finance service Mint, suggests that carrying a camera with you can help improve your chances of better customer service. Here's why:

The last thing employees want to see when they're delivering a substandard product or service is a shutterbug. If they think you might take a snapshot, or a video, of their incompetent actions, they're far likelier to do the right thing. The presence of a camera alone is often enough. Try it sometime.

Seems simple enough. If you've tried this out and seen some success or failure, let us know in the comments.